Ranking the new 'DWTS' cast [Pictures]

CaptionPick your dancing pony

Todd Wawrychuk / ABC

There are so many changes for the new season of "Dancing With the Stars" (premiering 8 p.m. Monday, March 17) on WMAR/ABC). Harold Wheeler and the band are gone -- BOO! Brooke Burke-Charvet is gone -- YAY! (I'm sure she's a lovely person, but after my years of griping about her performance on the show, I can't pretend to be anything other than elated that she's gone.) I'm also really looking forward to Erin Andrews as the new co-host. She's smart and funny and I think her experience on athletic event sidelines will translate well to the ballroom. Don't forget she's also got a journalism degree, which means at some point she was actually trained to listen to answers given to questions, a skill her predecessor (Burke-Charvet) never quite mastered. The other big change, which I'm sure we'll hear more about on the premiere, is that celebrities won't necessarily be with the same pro the entire season. There's going to be a way for the audience to mix things up. I'm all in favor of this -- over the years, some pros have become celebrities and favorites in their own right, often getting votes for a celebrity who otherwise wouldn't be an audience favorite. But now on to what really matters: the initial pairings and each couple's chance at success. -- By Amy Watts

There are so many changes for the new season of "Dancing With the Stars" (premiering 8 p.m. Monday, March 17) on WMAR/ABC). Harold Wheeler and the band are gone -- BOO! Brooke Burke-Charvet is gone -- YAY! (I'm sure she's a lovely person, but after my years of griping about her performance on the show, I can't pretend to be anything other than elated that she's gone.) I'm also really looking forward to Erin Andrews as the new co-host. She's smart and funny and I think her experience on athletic event sidelines will translate well to the ballroom. Don't forget she's also got a journalism degree, which means at some point she was actually trained to listen to answers given to questions, a skill her predecessor (Burke-Charvet) never quite mastered. The other big change, which I'm sure we'll hear more about on the premiere, is that celebrities won't necessarily be with the same pro the entire season. There's going to be a way for the audience to mix things up. I'm all in favor of this -- over the years, some pros have become celebrities and favorites in their own right, often getting votes for a celebrity who otherwise wouldn't be an audience favorite. But now on to what really matters: the initial pairings and each couple's chance at success. -- By Amy Watts (Todd Wawrychuk / ABC)

Star qualifications: The first person to swim from Cuba to Florida (without a shark cage). Pro partner: Henry Byalikov Her swimming achievements and intelligence are not in question -- a longtime broadcaster and author, she also speaks four languages fluently. However, she's 64 and paired with a first-time pro. Prediction: Out early

Star qualifications: The first person to swim from Cuba to Florida (without a shark cage). Pro partner: Henry Byalikov Her swimming achievements and intelligence are not in question -- a longtime broadcaster and author, she also speaks four languages fluently. However, she's 64 and paired with a first-time pro. Prediction: Out early (Craig Sjodin / ABC)